Explain a Sound Module please?

[lollycross]

Hello,
Last week I asked about keyboards and BR-8 units and we
had a nice discussion about Salesmen. Well, after looking at
things in the state of Or. I discovered that NO keyboard I was shown, sounded like a harp, a bagpipe or a "fiddle".
These sounds MUST sound like real instruments on my
recordings.....My employer uses a Midi Keyboard controller
with a Sound Module, but not for these 3 instruments.
Would a SOUND MODULE give me a more REAL sound on these
three acoustic instruments???? Or what should I really be
looking at. I have $1000 at the most to spend on this
part of the project.
Lolly

 

[Krakit]

Nothing will make these sound real

The only way to make these instruments sound "real" is to use real instruments.

Even with the best samplers (which is what I'm going to recommend to you), there is no way to truly emulate the approach of a violin, harp or bagpipes from a keyboard interface.

You can approximate the "sound" of these instruments with a good sampler, but the performance will not convince any trained ear that you hired a piper, violinist or harpist for your project.

It will sound like a keyboard player playing a sample of these instruments.

Carl

 

[lollycross]

Thats what I was afraid of...so which sampler would you
recommend I at least go out and listen to? Maybe I could
substitute other instruments, perhaps ones with keyboards,
instead of the ones I have chosen, and still have a good mix.
?????

 

[mikeh]

I agree with Krakit - it would be very hard to get harp and bagpipes out of a module (the fiddle may be more easy to find).

However reproducing a sound is much different than reproducing technique. Holding down a note on a keyboard is much different than squeezing a note out of a bagpipe.

However, if you think your keyboard technique is good enough to get the right "feel" - then I really think a sampler would be your best bet. However, $1,000 limits your options. I think you can get a low end Akai for about $900. Maybe looking for a used sampler may be the way to go.

But - once you have a sampler, you still need samples. There are various sample disks which cover "ethnic sounds", which may give you the bagpipes and fiddle. You may have to look at a disk of "orchestral sounds" to get a harp.

The problem with sample disks, (beyond the extra costs of building a sound library) is that you can't hear the sounds until you buy the disk - and once you open the disk, most places won't let you return the disk.

Good luck - it sounds like an interesting recording project.

 

[TexRoadkill]

EMU as a nice harp sound in their orchestral modules. Fiddle and Bagpipes will be tough.

 

[MILLSY5]

If you have a decent enough computer a cheaper option would be a software sampler. I recommend Halion by Steinbergit retails at about £250 in the UK and is equally as good as its hardware equivilent on a good computer. You will still require the above mentioned sample CD's so you will need to do some good research to find the correct instruments on one disc (to save you some cash)

Keith